


Wasted All Our Potential

by fandomwolfx



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: 5x01 spoilers, Angst, F/M, Scene Expansion, Varchie!Centric, discussions of cheating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:35:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28889208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomwolfx/pseuds/fandomwolfx
Summary: A longer version of the scene at the end of 5x01, and a deeper look into the thoughts of Archie Andrew's mind
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, mentions of Archie Andrews/ Betty cooper, mentions of Betty Cooper/ Jughead Jones
Comments: 7
Kudos: 22





	Wasted All Our Potential

**Author's Note:**

> yes, the title is from another Taylor Swift song- "this is me trying" to be exact.

Archie leads Veronica into the empty music room, his hand on the small of her bare back as he thinks about how this is probably the last time he’s ever going to be able to do that. 

Archie’s thinking about a lot of things right now: 

He’s thinking about how he seems to have a reputation of making pretty girls cry at dances.

He’s thinking about that empty suite at the five seasons, wilting rose petals and cold bath water. 

He’s thinking about how he was half joking earlier in the week when he asked Veronica to join him in the shower and how he wishes she actually took him up on the offer. 

He’s thinking about how he’s really fucked up this time, she might be able to forgive some black hood ‘my life is in danger kiss’ but there’s no way she can forgive this.

What he’s not thinking about however, is the subtle shaking of Veronica’s shoulders as she makes her way towards the piano stool.

She’s sitting on the chair, hands crossed in her lap and eyes focused on the deflating balloons that surround them. He takes a step forward to go occupy the space next to her but falters at the last second and looks at her waiting for the invitation. 

When she finally meets his eye his heart breaks again at the tears he finds, he knew that she was crying; but still the harsh reality of actually seeing them still hurts.

Not capable of words yet she merely mashes her lips together and nods, a dainty hand patting the space beside her, most of which is taken up by the tulle of her dress. 

He sits. 

They’re arms are touching, yet it still feels like the most distance that has ever been between them. He kicks one of the pathetic balloons out the way and hears Veronica scoff, clearly just realising he’s wearing chucks, and he gathers the courage to say

“I am sorry Veronica” he sighs, understanding the futility of the statement and isn’t surprised when she scoffs again- this time with more of an edge to it. 

“I need” she starts, but gets cut off by a crack to her voice, she takes the time to straighten her posture to try and gain composure before continuing “I need to know what actually happened, was it just a song and a kiss, or was it…”

More. 

That’s what she’s trying to ask him, was it more than a one time thing. Honestly Archie doesn’t even know himself what it was, apart from a whole mess of confusing and conflicting feelings. What he does know, is that he at the very least owes her the truth regarding the situation. 

He opens his mouth to say something, but his entire throat feels closed and the tears are beginning to well in his own eyes too, which is stupid because he’s certainly not the one who has the right to cry in thisi conversation. This is his fault. 

“I’m going to need an answer Archie.”

“It was one kiss….but then-” her sudden sob catches him off guard and he abruptly stops.

He lets out another sigh, and a voice in the back of his head tells him the amount of deep breaths he and Veronica have just omitted could probably refill all of these deflated balloons. 

“A week or so after Hedwig, me and her” he can’t quite bring himself to say the name, “went down to the bunker and just held hands and… lay there” 

“So you didn’t fuck her?” she replies off-handedly like she just asked him if he’s heard any decent new music recently. 

“No” he replies firmly, even though he knows deep down whether he did or not doesn’t actually change anything.

Veronica’s leaning forward again, nodding furiously so that little tendrils of hair fall from her bun, Archie has to flex his hand to stop himself from pushing them back. 

His body is tensed and his jaw is completely clenched in an attempt to keep himself together, and he thinks it’s so inexplicably cruel that Veronica lodge might be the prettiest crier he’s ever had the displeasure of laying his eyes on. It’s pretty much soul wrenching to look at Veronica in this state, and because of him as well, yet for some reason he can’t keep his eyes off her. 

“So, what does- what does this mean for us?” 

Realistically he knows what it means, they’re over, done, finished, decidedly not endgame. He was aware of that the second he told her the song was about because his stupid savior complex had to get in the way, so worried that if he held her back she’d grow to resent him over time. For once in his life, he wishes he could have been truly and completely selfish, keep his secret and have Veronica still by his side. 

The fact she didn’t immediately leave him on the dance floor (like she should have) and was willing to still be in a room alone with him, does leave Archie with this tiny semblance of hope. 

He clings to that tiny bit of hope, clings to it so desperately, just like he clung to her in those darkest moments of his life when his Dad was shot and she seemed to be the only ray of light in his vision, when everything else was so murky. 

Shit, he wishes his Dad was here right now. 

He’s also aware that if his Dad was here that he would be deeply ashamed and the want for a father figure diminishes slowly again.

“I don’t know Archie” she replies sharply, laughing half-heartedly before continuing “all I know right now is that I have a strong disliking for my supposed bestie, and that I really do not want to have this conversation. Not now, not ever.”

He can feel the anger rising in her voice, and he can do this, he can do anger. Whatever scathing abuse Veronica wants to throw his way he can take, because she’ll be undoubtedly right. He is a bad guy, he doesn’t deserve her. 

But the momentum falls flat again and her voice tapers off as she admits that they have to have this conversation. 

Now. 

Deep down he knows that they have to do this, and that’s what he tells her. 

“Did Betty tell Jughead about happened between you two”

He recognizes her attempt to have a normal and formal conversation, but he just can’t meet her with the same fervor, so instead he responds with a monotonous “no”, and a shake of his head. 

There’s a pause and he isn’t sure if she wants more of an answer and adds “We both swore we wouldn’t” 

He hopes she realizes they made that oath in an attempt not to hurt herself and Jughead and not because they were interested in continuing whatever they were doing. 

“We should keep it that way, no need to blow them up too” 

It hurts Archie to know that Betty and Jughead could come out of this situation unscathed when she’s just described their own relationship as ‘blown up’. What hurts him more, is how good of a person Veronica is, he can think of many a night early in their relationship where he would whisper reassurances in her hair telling her that she wasn’t a bad person and was deserving of love, now Veronica is probably the best person he knows and he’s just betrayed her on a level that is unimaginable. 

But he’s also aware that he’s not really in the position to be making the terms of this agreement, so he acquiesces. 

“I agree” 

It’s great that they have a plan to save Betty and Jughead, but he still doesn’t know how they’re supposed to move forward from this. Always ready to follow in her lead however, he asks that very question. 

“So what are we supposed to do now?”

His eyes are glued to her face as she effectively lays out their entire future with one another. 

Her breath hitches as she composes herself, unlike him her own eyes are focused straight ahead, looking anywhere other than into his own. 

“Clearly our last two weeks of highschool are going to be fraught” and now he looks away too, “and I don’t want them to be overshadowed by...this. So after graduation, we go our separate ways Archie- no big drama, no fireworks-”. 

Veronica has always been a composed and well spoken individual, so to see her very core traits broken down by his own actions as she struggles to find words makes his already immense guilt triple, at least. 

“I’ll go to Barnard, and you do whatever feels right to you.” 

The ironic thing is, is that Archie knows Veronica better than anyone and he immediately picks up on the fact her calling out his fatal flaw of indecisiveness was meant to cut deep, and it did- it does. 

His brain struggles to comprehend the fact that just over an hour ago they were wrapped up in each other, discussing their entwined future over 80’s synth and cliche love songs. And now their future is decidedly untangled and separate from one another, her worst fear of a disconnected future has come real, and his about her growing resentment towards him has come to fruition as well. 

She turns to look at him, her lip is wobbling and he can see that her face is beginning to screw up indicating she’s going to cry again. 

His eyes flit over her face: once and then once again. He searches for any sign that she doesn’t want comfort and when he sees none he takes the risk of extending his arm out to her, relieved when she falls into his embrace. Her read resting in the same place of his neck as it always does. 

Archie’s adam’s apple moves as he forces back his tears again, this isn’t the time for him to get upset that will come soon, for now all he can do is hold the woman that he loves and hopes that that can be enough. 

He’s still confused by this new set of rules she’s laid out for him (what they can and can’t do), whilst one of his arms is circled round her waist, he isn’t quite too sure what to do with the other one. He settles on idly plucking the pearls on the corsage he gave her, the rhythm he decides on a one of unknown variety. 

“What, do you want it back or something?” she sniffles, face still buried in his chest. 

The comment catches him off guard, but he gives a slight chuckle nonetheless. 

“Nah, you can keep it… I would like all my sweatshirts back at some point though” 

She sits up at this, and stares at him in shock “Archie Andrews, you know how cold I can get I think that is inexplicably cruel” 

“Right,” he nods, staring at her, now that she’s sitting up their faces mere inches apart and the look they’re giving each other is way too earnest for the lighthearted banter they’ve tried to force themself into. 

“RIght” he says, leaning to kiss her on the forehead and whispers “I’ll let you keep those too.” 

He uses all of his will power to detach himself from her, dusts off his pants and heads towards the music room door, watching as she follows suits. 

Still determined to follow gentleman etiquette, he opens said door and places his hand on her bare back one more time as they head towards the parking lot.

**Author's Note:**

> Oh man that premier was... 
> 
> here's my overall thoughts 
> 
> 1.Archie saying the song he wrote Betty stinks is very pleasing to me  
> 2.Veronica really was the best this episode, the rest of the characters do NOT deserve her  
> 3.At least there was a lot of cute smaller Archie moments this ep  
> 4.Cami's acting was so good !!  
> 5\. my only main complaint is that I wish both of them had a bigger reaction to the situation, but I also think that's to come in the next few eps ... 
> 
> Anyway, if you'd like to talk Varchie my Tumblr is @ronniesandrxws (well that's not so true right now is it) and my twitter is @ivyxevermore 
> 
> Comments and kudos very much appreciated !!!
> 
> \- Eeliz :)


End file.
